Heavy Rains Flood Tens of Thousands of Tents in Gaza as Winter Crisis Deepens
Heavy seasonal rain has flooded tens of thousands of tents sheltering displaced Palestinians in Gaza, soaking mattresses, clothing and food supplies and leaving families with nowhere dry to sleep as the first major storm of the winter season hits the territory. Gaza’s government media office says about 70,000 tents have been flooded since the rain began on Friday, November 7, 2026, and a senior United Nations official says almost everyone in Gaza now needs help.
In short: Heavy rain that began on Friday, November 7, flooded about 70,000 tents across Gaza, according to Gaza’s government media office, forcing hundreds of families to flee camps in Gaza City, Deir al-Balah, Nuseirat and Khan Younis. Jonathan Veitch, UNICEF’s representative for Palestine, told the BBC the situation is “horrific” and that “nearly everyone needs help,” as aid agencies warn of more rain to come.
“It’s Just Horrific and They’re Absolutely Desperate”
Jonathan Veitch, the UNICEF representative for Palestine, spoke to the BBC from Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, where displacement camps were inundated as rainwater pooled between tents and flowed into makeshift shelters. “It’s just horrific and they’re absolutely desperate,” Veitch said, describing aid workers being stopped in the street by people pleading for assistance. “But unfortunately, heavy flooding this morning means that nearly everyone needs help.”
Gaza’s Civil Defense said it received more than 1,500 emergency calls from displaced people whose tents and shelters had been affected by flooding across the territory, but its teams lack the equipment and capacity to respond, leaving rescue operations limited and injured people without timely help. Families were left sleeping in flooded tents, some children fell ill from the cold, and hundreds of thousands of displaced people remain in shelters considered highly vulnerable to further flooding. The figure of 70,000 flooded tents comes from Gaza’s government media office and has not been independently verified.
A Winter Disaster Foretold
Aid agencies had warned for months that this moment was coming. Most of Gaza’s roughly two million residents have been displaced at some point during the war between Israel and Hamas, many repeatedly, and a large share now live in improvised tent settlements rather than permanent housing. The shelters, built from whatever materials were available, were never designed to withstand a full winter of rain and wind.
By September, UNICEF estimated that more than 1.76 million people — approximately 84 percent of Gaza’s population — were living in overcrowded displacement sites or damaged and inadequate accommodation. During October, UN humanitarian assessments identified approximately 950,000 people living in displacement sites at medium to high risk of flooding. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), as of November 1 people in Gaza needed approximately 121,000 tents, 561,000 tarpaulins, 57,000 emergency shelter kits and 1.7 million mattresses to prepare for the cold and rainy season. Humanitarian shelter partners had only around 2,800 tents available inside the territory.
Supplies Blocked, Funding Short
Veitch said the “desperate” situation was being made worse by Israeli restrictions on the entry of heavy machinery and supplies such as engine oil, and by UN budget cuts that have reduced the availability of tarpaulins, plastic sheeting and tents. “We have to be much more choosy about where we’re going to be supporting,” he said. OCHA said funding shortages, restrictions on the entry of essential materials and delays in obtaining approvals were hindering efforts to deliver urgently needed shelter supplies, and warned that damaged drainage and sewage systems, combined with shortages of fuel and spare parts, were undermining Gaza’s ability to cope with heavy rainfall.
The estimated winter response required $267.9 million, with $186.5 million still unfunded — a gap of almost 70 percent. For its own winter program across Gaza and the West Bank, UNICEF had appealed for $97.5 million to protect 540,000 children and their families. Al Jazeera has reported that about 200,000 tents and 60,000 mobile homes are blocked from entering Gaza, with some mobile homes waiting on the Egyptian side for over two years. Israel’s Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) says it has allowed more than 91,000 tents into Gaza and is implementing a winter plan, but ties broader reconstruction and unrestricted deliveries to the disarmament of Hamas and applies strict checks on dual-use items.
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What Comes Next
Humanitarian agencies say the flooding adds pressure to an already strained relief effort, with concerns over waterborne disease, limited drainage and continued shortages of waterproof tenting material. Officials and aid groups say further rain is expected in the coming weeks, raising the risk of repeated flooding before adequate shelter can be provided — and of hypothermia deaths among children and the elderly if families cannot get dry.
The Palestinian health ministry says the loss of shelter affects over one million displaced people, while the UN emergency office estimates about 295,000 families need shelter help and current supplies cover only about 18 percent of that need. With roughly 121,000 tents needed and only a fraction available, the coming winter is landing on people who, as one aid worker put it, have nothing left to lose. The humanitarian situation in Gaza will depend in the coming days on whether shelter supplies can get through faster than the next storm arrives.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many tents were flooded in Gaza?
Gaza’s government media office says about 70,000 tents have been flooded since the heavy rain began on Friday, November 7, 2026. The figure has not been independently verified. Gaza’s Civil Defense received more than 1,500 emergency calls from displaced people affected by the flooding.
What did the UN official say about the situation in Gaza?
Jonathan Veitch, UNICEF’s representative for Palestine, told the BBC from Deir al-Balah: “It’s just horrific and they’re absolutely desperate.” He said heavy flooding meant “nearly everyone needs help” and that UN budget cuts and restrictions on supplies were forcing agencies to make difficult choices about where to concentrate assistance.
How many tents does Gaza need for winter?
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, as of November 1 people in Gaza needed approximately 121,000 tents, 561,000 tarpaulins, 57,000 emergency shelter kits and 1.7 million mattresses. Humanitarian shelter partners had only around 2,800 tents available inside the territory.
Why are there not enough tents and shelter supplies in Gaza?
Aid agencies cite funding shortages, restrictions on the entry of essential materials and delays in obtaining approvals. UNICEF says Israeli restrictions on heavy machinery and supplies such as engine oil are making the situation worse, while UN budget cuts have reduced the availability of tarpaulins, plastic sheeting and tents. Israel’s COGAT says it has allowed more than 91,000 tents in and ties broader deliveries to the disarmament of Hamas.
How many people in Gaza are at risk from flooding?
UN assessments in October identified approximately 950,000 people living in displacement sites at medium to high risk of flooding. UNICEF estimated in September that more than 1.76 million people — about 84 percent of Gaza’s population — were living in overcrowded displacement sites or damaged and inadequate accommodation.
Will there be more rain in Gaza?
Yes. Aid officials say further rain is expected in the coming weeks, raising the risk of repeated flooding before adequate shelter can be provided, along with concerns over waterborne disease and hypothermia, especially among children and the elderly.
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